Five more die of H1N1 in Tamil Nadu in past 24 hrs

CHENNAI: Five people, including a child, died of H1N1 and one man died of

dengue

in the past 24 hours across the state. While doctors say the new mutated strain of the H1N1virus is turning out to be dangerous for people with comorbid conditions, they fail to explain why even children with no history of illness are

dying

due to the

virus

.


Director of public health Dr K Kolandaswamy has instructed government health centres to create a separate fever clinic in a ventilated area, especially for influenza-like illnesses (ILI). “There is an increase in dengue and H1N1 cases, but we have adequate stock of medicines and human resources to treat people,” said state health minister C Vijayabaskar.

‘Our aim now is to prevent H1N1 cases,’ health min says after field inspection

State health minister C Vijayabaskar and senior public health officials are making field visits to several areas in the state urging people and the civic agencies to clear unused scrap and discarded items lying inside houses and open grounds.

With several regions experiencing intermittent rain, water stagnating in plastic cups and tyres were a breeding ground for dengue-causing mosquitoes. “If we don’t clear them now, we will not be able to prevent dengue. We are seeing an increase in fever cases. There is an increasein dengue and H1N1 cases as well. We have adequate stock of medicines and human resources to treat people with ailments, but our aim now is to prevent them,” health minister C Vijayabaskar said.

In Coimbatore, 4-yearold Sanshika Sree, who was referred to the government hospital from GKNM Hospital after he was diagnosed with H1N1 virus died on Thursday. On Friday, Nagaraj, a 62-year-old man from Vellalore, died of dengue. A Nagamani, 42, and a 55-year-old Nagaraj from Tirupur diedof fever.“Itis mainly because patients come with category three infection,whichincludesdesaturation and heavy wheezing.

The infection

has already reached their lungs,” said a GH officer. “It is more severe with people suffering from comorbid conditions like COPD, heart disease or other organ issues,”hesaid.

In a case of the H1N1 virus spreading fast, five people infected by the H1N1 virus got admitted into the government hospital on Friday alone taking the count to 17 cases. There are 70 in-patients suffering from different strains of viral fever too.

Two deaths in Madurai in the past 24 hours has taken the toll in the Government Rajaji Hospital (GRH) to six. GRH dean Dr D Marudhupandian said 102 patients, including those in the paediatric section, were being treated for fever in the hospital.


Hospital sources said Mandiramoorthy, 45 of Sundarajanpatti on Alagarkoil Road, who was admittedfewdays ago,diedlateon Thursday night. Allimalar, 35, wife of Shankar of Attukulam in Melur, who had symptoms of H1NI died on Friday morning. Three more people who tested H1N1 positive and two patients with dengue are under treatment.


Muthukrishnan of Muneerpalam in Tirunelveli who was admitted to the Tirunelveli Government died of H1N1 on Friday. Selvam, 30, of Samadhanapuram Ambedkar Nagar in Tirunelveli, who also tested H1N1positive,died atthePalayamkottai Government Medical College Hospital.


Five patients who tested positive for H1NI and three dengue patients are under treatment in the government hospital in Tirunelveli. Dean of the Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital Dr S M Kannan said so far there have been five H1N1 deaths in the district.